Kings of Joy Podcast interview with Po Trancey - Balancing Masculine and Feminine Energy

Danica Lani  0:01  
Hello and welcome. My name is Danica Lani. And we are here Live at the Bandstand by Qtopia, Sydney. For our very first, live Kings of Joe - Kings of Joe, we've got no Kings of Joe! I've heard of him. Kings of Joe. For our very first Kings of Joy, podcast show. So thank you so much for being here. I would like to acknowledge that we're gathering on Aboriginal land and that this land always was and always will be Aboriginal land. Sovereignty was never ceded. No treaty has ever been signed. And so really important to remember and honor the ancestors, the elders past, present and emerging and honor that relationship that is sacred between Indigenous people, the traditional custodians of the land and their relationships. So we are here on Gadigal Country of the Eora Nation. And I want to pay my respects to their ancestors as well. So today on the Kings of Joy podcast, I have a very special guest with me. Po Trancey!

Danica Lani  1:28  
Welcome. 

Po Trancey  1:29  
Thanks, Danica.

Danica Lani  1:31  
So how did we first meet? Do you remember?

Po Trancey  1:35  
I do. It was after the Kings of Joy after WorldPride. And then I got in touch with Kings of Joy because someone from my Acon volunteering group had suggested Kings of Joy for Drag Kinging.

Danica Lani  1:51 
Oh, really?

Po Trancey  1:52  
Yeah. I've always wanted to explore gender I think, with Drag King. And I thought Drag King would be the first artistic thing to do. To be able to do that for self-expression. And Kings of Joy seemed like a safe space to do it. And it was. But I think right after World Pride because there was a lot of highs and lows. That whole Kings of Joy thing didn't happen right after it. But we had a break period where everyone was well-rested.

Danica Lani  2:34  
Absolutely. Did anyone else here experience those lows and highs during World Pride, and then the aftermath, and then the month holiday that we all needed to take to recover?

Po Trancey  2:43  
I was so sick of it all.

Danica Lani  2:47 
Stop the gays!

Po Trancey  2:49  
But no, I was left wanting more right after it. So I was like, ah, what now?

Danica Lani  2:57  
It's a good question. So the thing that really called you was about gender, and exploring gender. Give us a picture of where you've been in your life in terms of gender, and thinking about gender. What has been your thought process so far?

Po Trancey  3:13  
I think in terms of exploration of gender, that's been fairly recent. Only because the alignment around me has also been supportive of that. Because I think, a lot of people- even the people that I've had conversations with- when you grow up in a space where gender or queer identities are seldom spoken about, you don't really think about it. But then it's deeply internalized within you. It's just a sense of separateness, separated-ness, from the people around you. Even though you can get along, there's still some sort of void. But I don't think I've actually acknowledged it. Just live life through it. And then you see people being expressive and embracing themselves in a very gender-euphoric way. I think that was affirming for me. That led me to me questioning, or even thinking about different ways of expressing myself, and my queer identity.

Danica Lani  4:25  
Yes. And tell us where did you grow up? Where was this? Where was this setting?

Po Trancey  4:31 
So, I was born and brought up in India and I moved here when I was 18. So fairly conservative, even though the school life was kind of open. I don't think most of my life there was very closeted but didn't talk a lot about sexuality, gender, or anything to do with any social relationships and aspects of it. I guess the change of environment, contextual change, and the freedom for yourself to explore. By yourself. And independence has helped shape that sort of thing. And also parts of India is very cultural and religious. So I guess even though the family is supportive, it's not the same but extended into sort of...

Danica Lani  5:34  
Extended networks and society and religion in particular? Which kinds of religion in India?

Po Trancey  5:40  
I was brought up in a Hindu household. Although we don't really practice it very extensively. It was kind of like the festivals were celebrated. It was more like a cultural, traditional thing, rather than it being a spiritual or religious routine. But I think what I've also realised is that reconnecting with my queer self has also got me connected with my religious part. Because apparently, a lot of Hindu background has to do with androgyny and trans sexuality. And I'm still learning about that. So I'm kind of like a novice to that learning. But it's really interesting because I feel like somehow reconnecting with your authentic self keeps you more in touch with your spiritual self. Or the religious self.

Danica Lani  6:39  
And I know that was something that you and I spoke about before you joined Kings of Joy when you're finding out about it. We had quite an extensive conversation about spirituality. I teach queer Tantra, so learnings from Hinduism, learnings from divine masculinity, divine femininity, divine androgyny, and the different deities, like Shakti and Shiva and Ardhanarishvara. So, can you tell us a little bit more about your explorations with that?

Po Trancey  7:14  
I still am learning a lot about that. But for me, it makes a lot of sense when I read that from the perspective of like religious texts. The thing that I read was The Bhagavad Gita. But I didn't really understand it when it was taught in school. Because I don't think a lot of people really - I guess it's just mentioned in a way where it's a story, but they don't really dig into the meaning or the values behind it. For me, the divine masculine and the divine feminine is like - the divine masculine has its own traits like being grounded, balanced, goal-orientated in a way, or direction, and power. And feminine aspects would be moving, dancing, and flow. And all of those. And I think, with Drag or in my personality itself, you need to venture into different extremes to find a balance. And make mistakes along the way. So I feel like Drag has been a space where I can outwardly do that without feeling guilty about it. Po can make as many mistakes as he can and have no consequences. Personally, I can't do that in real life. So yeah, Po is like my alter ego, where I just allow him to do whatever he wants to without regretting anything. On extremes. But eventually, he'll learn. He'll become wiser over time. But right now he's still very, very chaotic in his expression. So you'll see him doing random things. Still finding himself

Danica Lani  9:15  
And so when we got to see Pro Trancey onstage in your debut Kings of Joy group performance "Sweater Weather", what were some of the the traits or the expressions or the ways of moving or being on stage that Po was able to do that Sneha wouldn't be able to do necessarily in everyday life?

Po Trancey 9:38  
I feel like with his debut, Po was still a bit... I feel like he didn't embrace his whole movement quite well. He was definitely channeling his inner masculine more than his inner feminine, clearly. But no, I think that's a goal for Po moving forward just to like let go and be more expressive and more flexible. But something about being in that space, which is so liberating. It's just being around other queer people. Being around a good crowd who's celebrating different gender expressions and doing it with other people who were also in the same journey. That was the best part of that whole experience of Kings of Joy, which I really enjoyed. And which triggered why I really like being queer.

Danica Lani  10:44  
Yeah! (audience clapping)  And so talk us through what's happened since then. What's happened for Po?

Po Trancey  10:50  
Since my Drag with Po?

Danica Lani  10:51  
Your journey since then?

Po Trancey  10:54  
Po's laid a bit stagnant and dormant, in the back of my head. But no, he's going to have a comeback. He should.

Danica Lani  11:06  
We want him too! We do. We want more Po.

Po Trancey  11:11  
He's just rethinking a lot of his choices. And he's on a reflective ride. He keeps going into reflection and comes back out, hopefully with something better and something massive. So moving forward Po definitely wants to explore different ways... With 'Sweater Weather', he did something quite spiritual. His whole theme was 'love for all.' Moving forward, maybe embrace a bit more movement and the divine feminine whilst also having no care. Or just being selfish.

Danica Lani  12:07  
What a relief that sounds like!

Po Trancey  12:11  
And also, something more... we'll see. Still thinking. Po's still thinking. He's a deep thinker.

Danica Lani  12:22  
He is a deep thinker and a spiritual wanderer. I've been curious about the name, Po Trancey. So can you tell us about that?

Po Trancey  12:33  
I thought the name would be quite self-explanatory. But no, I've had to do quite a bit of explaining for it. So when you say Po Trancey, by itself, it sounds like 'potency.' And that is what I want Po to be like. Like a potent drug whose presence will be known. And hopefully, is felt. And then Trancey, because to embrace the transient state of Po's mind and the ever-changing interests and habits that Po has acquired. And also Trancey to pay homage to the trans identity within Po's self. And yeah, Po just sounds good. So why wouldn't you want to say Mr. Po?

Danica Lani  13:28  
Right? I love that.

Po Trancey  13:30  
So that was the meaning behind it. Maybe he will change his name eventually. Who knows? 

Danica Lani  13:36  
Well, that's one of the great things about being a Drag King is that there are not many rules in Drag and being a Drag King. One of the first rules is to draw on your own cultural heritage. That's mostly for white people. We have to say that for white people so that we stay in our lane and don't do anything racially problematic. And then the second rule is, you can have a dick, just don't be a dick. So they're the main two rules of Drag Kings. But there are not many other rules. You've invented Po Trancey. And you could reinvent Po in any way that you want.

Po Trancey  14:20  
Which is what I love. It's what everybody, hopefully, loves. It's just an endless stream of opportunities. An exploration, an experimentation.

Danica Lani  14:35  
I love that word. And so do you think we will be able to see you on stage maybe at Drag Kingdom this year on the 16th of November?

Po Trancey  14:42  
I believe so. I've said yes.

Danica Lani  14:45  
OK Yeah, yes! 

Po Trancey  14:48  
We will. I have no idea what we're doing. But it is an exciting little opportunity. So we'll see.

Danica Lani  14:56  
And what are three things that you love about being part of the Kings of Joy community?

Po Trancey  15:00 
Euphoria, support and family. And authenticity. Space for embracing yourself.

Danica Lani  15:17  
That was five, but I love it! We'll keep five. No, that was great. Amazing. Well, thank you. And it was great to have you here tonight and being on the Kings of Joy podcast. It's been a beautiful journey to see you grow and develop Po Trancey, through the six weeks of Kings of Joy but now beyond as well as you continue to develop that persona for yourself and to hear about your journey. 

Po Trancey  15:45  
It's all because of you Danica. 

Danica Lani  15:50 
Thank you, and you did it. And I got the acknowledgment as well. Thank you. Everybody, give it up for Po Trancey! Amazing, and thank you for being the first guest on our live podcast show. Yay.

Xx

Danica Lani

The King Coach

P.S. If you’d like to see Po Trancey perform in Jalebi Baby’, grab your ticket to Drag Kingdom, Thurs 16 Nov, 7 pm at The Red Rattler. A reunion of over 30 of the Kings of Joy community this will be a night not to be missed. Plus, 10% of all proceeds go to our LGBTQIA+ refugee friends living in Kakuma, Kenya at Block 13. Let’s make a difference together.

P.S. Wanna be a Drag King? Click here to join the waiting list for Kings of Joy

Hello handsome, 🌈 I'm Danica Lani, also known as The King Coach, here to empower you in your exploration of gender, sexuality, and performance. I have proudly mentored, choreographed, and produced 89 first-time Drag Kings since December 2020. Welcome to the joyous community of Kings of Joy, where we uplift and celebrate each other every step of the way! 🎉🤩 Let's embark on this Drag King journey together, embracing our true selves and cheering each other on! 🤗💖 #KingsOfJoy